Phuoc Thanh Bakery

Banh mi is the whole story at Phuoc Thanh Bakery, a West Melbourne bakery that has been turning out Vietnamese rolls since 1999. The business started on Victoria Street in Richmond and has since opened up this end of town, and locals who know the original say the bread has travelled well.

That bread is a good place to start. People rave about the crispy-yet-soft roll and the homemade pate, with fillings that are generous but fresh and balanced rather than overloaded. The crispy pork is the one that keeps coming up, and we've heard the lemongrass chicken, the BBQ chicken and the egg roll all have their fans too. One local called the crispy pork belly the best banh mi in West Melbourne, and another simply said the pork was actually crispy, which is higher praise than it sounds. There's a vegetarian option as well.

Beyond the rolls, you'll find fresh rice paper rolls, vermicelli bowls and noodle bowls, plus Vietnamese and western coffee. The Vietnamese coffee is on the strong side, so go in expecting the real thing. Locals also like the value: one person walked out with a banh mi, a rice paper roll and a coffee for a very reasonable spend, and called it an absolute steal.

You can eat in or take away, with plenty of space to sit. Delivery and catering are on offer too, and the entrance, seating and toilet are all wheelchair accessible. Cards and tap-and-pay are accepted. You pay at the counter and collect when your order is called, and people mention it's quick with little waiting around.

Staff get a lot of warm mentions for being friendly and helpful, and the shop is generally described as clean and well organised. One visitor did raise a hygiene concern about how a table was wiped down, so it's fair to say experiences aren't uniform, but it's very much the exception.

One practical tip: the shop is a little tucked off the street with no obvious signboard, so look for the entrance just inside the building on your right. It's open weekdays through the middle of the day and closed weekends, so check the hours before heading in.